LEGO ReBrick‘s McLaren Competition is gathering pace, and we have a superb entry to share with you today. Hoping to win a trip to the awesome Goodwood Festival of Speed courtesy of McLaren Automotive is Sebeus I of MOCpages. His McLaren Concept features some classic McLaren design cues blended cunningly into a neat modern design.

You can see more of Sebeus’ competition entry by clicking here, and you can read the contest rules and enter your own McLaren creation by visiting the LEGO ReBrick site here.

LEGO ReBrick and McLaren Automotive’s ‘Future McLaren’ competition closes today, and it’s resulted in some epic concept vehicles created by Lego builders from all around the world. Before the judging commences there’s time for us to feature a final two competition entries, from Marin Stipkovic (above) and Luke-M (below).

Marin’s aggressive-looking creation is fairly conventional compared to some of the concept vehicles entered – it could almost be in production already, whilst Luke-M (aka LEGO Bro) has constructed one of the most futuristic and wildly styled entries we’ve seen. You can see more of both on Flickr via the links in the text above.

Best of luck to Marin, Luke and everyone else who has entered over the past few weeks. If you’d like to see the other entries that have featured here at TLCB you can do so by typing ‘McLaren’ into the search box at the foot of the page.

Some cars are fiendishly difficult to build from Lego. Volkswagen’s Beetle, Porsche’s 911 and of course, Ferrari’s legendary Enzo. The variety of odd shapes in the Enzo’s carbon fibre bodywork make it a tricky thing to recreate from right-angled plastic, and – to our eyes – far from the prettiest Ferrari ever made. But it is a deeply impressive supercar, and one that deserves an impressive Lego model to match. Nathanael L thought so too, and so took over 18 months and four iterations to create his Ferrari Enzo model.

Nathanael’s Model Team recreation replicates the Enzo’s bodywork almost perfectly, and he’s also allowed the bonnet, butterfly doors and clam-shell engine cover to open – something that makes our brains hurt just thinking about all the hinges and angles involved.

There’s an extensive gallery of images available at Nathanael’s Flickr photostream, plus an accompanying MOCpage – simply click the links to see more of the how this incredible Lego Enzo was made.

Turbocharged three-cylinder engines are all the rage at the moment, thanks to tightening emissions regulations, high fuel prices, and the advancement of forced induction technology. Ford, Volkswagen, Peugeot, BMW and many more have recently downsized by a cylinder, but it was the Japanese who first explored the idea of a small capacity turbo triple as early as the 1980s.

TLCB regular Horcik Designs has paid homage to the forced-induction pioneers with his generic small Japanese coupe. There’s a three-cylinder turbocharged engine mounted transversely up front, independent and live-axle suspension, working steering, opening and locking doors, and lots more besides. You can see all of Horcik’s photos on Flickr – click the link above to make some boost.

This bewitchingly beautiful Technic supercar was discovered by one of our Elves on Flickr. It’s been built by previous bloggee Jeroen Ottens and – as you can see – it’s a work of art. The beauty of ‘Misstress’ is more than skin deep too; underneath the deliciously curvaceous bodywork is a mid-mounted V10 engine, working steering and fully independent double-wishbone suspension.

There’s a large gallery of superb images available to view at Jeroen’s Flickr photostream. Click on his name in the text above to see all of the photographs.

America. Bigger is better. Guns, meals (and waistlines) and – of course – cars. But what if there’s another way?

It was actually America, remarkably, that put the first turbo-charged production car on the market, way back in the 1960s. Turbo-charging was then promptly forgotten about, and the U.S auto makers went back to their tried and tested method of humungous and spectacularly inefficient V8s.

But the world has moved on, and with European and Japanese manufacturers making huge power from small capacity forced-induction engines, and saving weight, fuel and cost too, it’s finally time for America to get with the programme.

All of the Big Three are now championing turbo-power, using technology from their European divisions to bring smaller-capacity engines to the U.S market. Arguably the most successful so far have been Ford, with their excellent Ecoboost engine range. Unfortunately though, there are still customers in America who live in 1974, and they don’t trust this brave new direction one bit, so how does Ford prove to them that smaller equals better? A 600+bhp Ecoboost supercar ought to do it…

Only a handful of people even within Ford knew that the 2017 GT was being developed, so it came as a total surprise to the motoring press when the GT was revealed in concept form at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Powered by the 3.5 litre Ecoboost V6 that Ford would like to see replace the V8 across the range, the GT’s engine is around half the size of its American competitors. And it’s twice as good.

MOCpages’ Rage Hobbit thought so too, and he’s built a stunning Technic replica of the Ford GT before the real car has even gone on sale. Rage’s Lego recreation includes the mid-mounted V6 – hooked up to an eight speed remotely operated gearbox, remote controlled drive and steering, a motorised rear wing, double wishbone independent suspension and opening butterfly doors.

There are more images and full details of the build available at Rage Hobbit’s MOCpages account – click the link above to make the jump.

Earlier today we featured America’s attempt at downsizing, which is definite step in the right direction, but is still – let’s face it – bloody massive. Europe are making things much smaller.

Leading the way are BMW, whose latest supercar is powered by a tiny three-cylinder 1.5 litre turbo engine. And some electric motors. Big electric motors.

The striking looking i8 uses a combination of these power sources to deliver incredible performance and incredible fuel economy, deciding how much of each source is best to use at any given time. Clever stuff, although sometimes we don’t think the humble Toyota Prius gets enough credit…

TLCB Master MOCer Sheepo has decided to recreate this technical tour-de-force in Lego Technic, and his stunning replica i8 is very nearly as advanced as the real car. Power Functions RC drive and steering are included, as are an electrically operated retractable roof and opening scissor doors, plus the BMW’s dinky three-cylinder engine.

And then it’s gets really interesting. Sheepo has recreated (sort of) the BMW’s ingenious Hybrid system, with an electrically powered front axel, plus two more motors on the rear axel that are activated on the selection of Sport Mode, to give the car all-wheel-drive. The gearbox mounted in the middle equalises these motors to ensure smooth drive to each wheel, as well as upping the drive ratio when Sport Mode is engaged.

You can see how it all works at Sheepo’s website here (at the time of writing the i8 is yet to be published on the usual image-sharing platforms), or via the excellent video below.

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Long before Bugatti formed part of the Volkswagen empire, before Veyrons, before EB110s and before their products were simply trophies of the super-rich, they made cars like this.

Only sixty-five examples of the breathtakingly beautiful Type 50T were produced between 1931 and 1933, and unlike today’s Veyron, all original Bugatti’s were built to do one thing; go racing.

Sadly the outbreak of war, the destruction of the Bugatti factory, and the tragic loss of Ettore Bugatti’s son in their Le Mans winning Type 57C ‘Tank’ racing car conspired to end Ettore’s incredible story, but these early cars live on as the most sought-after and expensive vehicles in the world today.

This beautiful recreation of the 1933 Type 50 was found on Brickshelf. It’s been built by marthart, and it features engineering inside as lovely as it looks on the outside: Remote controlled steering and drive, working lights, leaf-sprung suspension, opening doors, hood and trunk and a 4-speed-gearbox are all included. There’s an extensive gallery available to view on Brickshelf – click the link above to take a look.

Built for TLCB Summer Building Competition, Flickr’s Davanchi M. has entered his own fictional ‘Apollo’ supercar. Nice detailing abounds and you can see more at the link above.

The Elves are riotously excited following this find. They love Technic Supercars, and TLCB Master MOCer Paul Boratko (aka Crowkillers) is one of the very finest supercar builders around. His latest creation goes one step further to pleasing the Elves, as alongside the usual (and impeccably engineered) Technic Supercar features, Paul has added a few optional extras.

Violent optional extras at that, including wing-door mounted missiles, machine guns in the front wings, and the power of flight thanks to some nifty transformation.

You can see more images and read the full specification details on Eurobricks, MOCpages or Brickshelf, plus you can see Paul’s ‘Shuriken’ Supercar in action in the video below, with a very Elf-friendly soundtrack.

YouTube Video:

Thank you to all the readers who suggested this creation to us. 

Perhaps the only part of the Volkswagen group of companies that will remain unaffected by the emissions scandal is Lamborghini. Customers buying a 690bhp, 6.5 litre, V12 engined car, probably won’t be surprised that its emissions are quite high and its fuel economy is best measured in miles to the pint. Still, there are some compensations. You can top 200mph when you pop down to the shops.

Nick Barrett’s version of the Aventador might be even faster, as it lacks the aerodynamic drag caused by wing mirrors. However, that’s being very picky, especially when you get your eyes into the details of this 1:10 scale monster MOC. The car is roughly 25 studs wide (or 1/4 of a SHIP) and the Technic axles used for the windscreen wipers don’t look out of place. Nick’s car has all of the working features that you’d expect from this Master MOCer. It includes Hand of God steering for playability and Nick’s take on the Aventador’s rear windscreen. Click this link to MOCpages to see more.

Ah, special editions. If there’s one way to sell something it’s to make people think that what they’re getting is unique. From humble hatchbacks with new seat upholstery and a sticker stuck on the back to exotic supercars with… er, new seat upholstery and sticker stuck on the back, all manufacturers are at it.

This is one of Lamborghini’s efforts, designed to help shift the lovely but ageing Gallardo in the run up to its replacement. The Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale was launched in 2011, limited to a run of only 150 units, and Artery Zotov has just reduced the exclusivity a bit.

His beautiful Technic replica of the rare bull comes with remote controlled all-wheel-drive and steering, independent double-wishbone suspension and a Technic version of the Lamborghini’s famous V10 engine.

There’s more to see on Flickr and at the Eurobricks discussion forum – click the links above to make the jump.

*Allow us to explain; Today’s post is a small version of a bigger version of a big version of a small car. See? It makes perfect sense!

OK, we’ll try again… This excellent Technic creation is a scale model of Mini’s largest model to date, the not-at-all-mini and actually quite large Countryman. The Countryman is itself a grotesquely swollen version of the ‘new’ New Mini, and the New Mini is of course a modern (read ‘larger’) re-interpretation of the original small British car from 1959. There you go; TLCB’s tenuous logic in action!

Back to the model, and it’s been built by falconluan of Brickshelf. It includes remotely controlled drive and steering, selectable all-wheel-drive, opening doors, hood and trunk, working suspension, and a  transversely-mounted inline-four piston engine, which makes it one of the most thoroughly executed Technic Supercars of the year.

There’s a fittingly massive gallery of photos available, including several detail and component images, at Brickshelf via the link above – click the link above to make the jump.

BMW’s M3 super-saloon is still one of the best driver’s cars in the world. Over the years the M3 has got bigger, heavier, much more powerful, and much, much faster. But it has also become more electronic, less natural, and – although the YouTube statistician commenters will disagree – less fun.

This, the 1980s E30 M3, comes from a time when lightness, simplicity, modest power, and mechanical rather than electronic engineering created probably the best M-Car that BMW ever made, and this superb Technic recreation by damjan9PL/daminple mirrors its subject by going the same route.

There’s not a Power Functions motor anywhere, as instead the model focusses on Technic mechanics, with a working four-cylinder engine, independent suspension, working steering, adjustable seats and opening doors, hood and trunk.

You can see the E30’s full gallery on Brickshelf here, and you can join the discussion at the Eurobricks forum here.

It’s been an uneventful few days here at TLCB Towers, as not a single Elf has returned with anything of note. Out of patience, we summoned Mr. Airhorn and chased any remaining Elves out of the office. When they’re hungry enough (which won’t take long) we’ll have some more models to blog…

In the meantime we can keep the cars coming thanks to some of your suggestions.

From left to right; Previous bloggee Alexander Paschoaletto‘s tidy Model Team Koenigsegg CCX, previous bloggee Rage Hobbit‘s remote control Technic Lotus Elise S, and newcomer Ben Smith‘s lovely Model Team Dodge Viper GTS.

You can see more of each of today’s submitted creations via the hyperlinks in the text above, and if you’d like to suggest a creation too you can do so via the Feedback page found in the main menu.

This impressive looking vehicle is the latest creation from Eurobricks’ builder and previous bloggee Lipko.

Underneath the striking bodywork Lipko has built a Technic Supercar chassis of old-school brilliance; and that means there’s not a single Power Functions motor to be found anywhere. Instead of remote control Lipko’s Supercar returns to the classic formula (and one which we very much like here at TLCB) of mechanical functionality, including a rear-wheel-driven V8 engine, independent (pushrod) suspension, functioning transmission, working steering and a mechanically deployed rear wing. Lego Community – we’d like more Supercars like this please!

There are more images and further details available on Lipko’s build at the Eurobricks forum; click the link above to join the discussion.

TLCB opens the batting in 2016 with a suggestion from one of our readers. Found on his Facebook page, Crowkillers has returned with a tribute to the late George Barris, one of the greatest custom car designers of all time, who sadly passed away in November of last year.

Barris was a pioneer of the hot rod scene and created some of television’s most famous and outlandish vehicles, including the Munster Koach, and the Batmobile.

Crowkillers’ Technic homage is nearly as crazy as George’s best works, and features two supercharged V8 engines, a four-speed gearbox, working steering and suspension, a deployable wheelie-bar, and opening scissor doors.

You can see all the images of Crowkillers’ latest build on Brickshelf, and you can read our interview with him in the Master MOCers Series by clicking here.

…Long Live the King. Manufacturing of the the world’s fastest production car ceased last year, and with Bugatti now readying a replacement we thought we’d take a look back at the car that re-wrote the rulebook on speed…

The Bugatti Veyron was launched by the VW empire back in 2005, when the group decided to showcase their engineering talents by designing a car to meet some outrageous targets: 1000bhp. 250mph. And in car that anyone (with very deep pockets) could drive.

Signed-off in 2001 the Veyron arrived four years later, powered by an eight-litre quad-turbo W16 engine making 1001bhp, all-wheel-drive, and with an all-important top speed of 253mph. Now, after 10 years and what felt like hundreds of special editions, the sun has finally set on the world’s first 250mph+ hypercar, thus clearing the way for the new Bugatti Chiron that is due to be unveiled later this year.

The final Veyrons produced power well in excess of the original car’s 1001bhp, and hold the current record for the world’s fastest production car at 267.7mph. This fantastic recreation of one of those later cars comes from pipasseyoyo of Brickshelf, and whilst it probably won’t do 267.7mph (no matter how hard you push it) it does feature some brilliant engineering in its own right, with all-wheel-drive, a W16 engine, working steering, adjustable suspension, a 6-speed gearbox, an adjustable spoiler, and opening doors, trunk and hood all featuring.

There’s lots more to see of pipasseyoyo’s beautiful Technic supercar on Brickshelf, including high quality images of the chassis, drivetrain, suspension and interior, plus you can see more in the excellent (music aside) video below.

YouTube Video:

We were a little underwhelmed with LEGO’s 2016 Technic line-up when we released details back at the end of 2015. However, there was hope that better sets were to come; there was a gap in the numbering sequence. A hole in the range. A supercar shaped hole. And, as it turns out, a Porsche 911 shaped hole…

Yup, LEGO are bringing their first fully authorised official supercar set to market later this year! Expanding on their relationship with Porsche that was first developed for the Speed Champions line (alongside McLaren and Ferrari), and joining the official Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, MINI and Volvo partnerships, LEGO are set to release a spectacular Technic replica of Porsche’s legendary 911, and it looks i.n.c.r.e.d.i.b.l.e.

Set 42056 was revealed at the 2016 Nuremberg Toy Fair today, and it could well be the most amazing Technic flagship in LEGO’s history; a fully detailed replica of – we think – Porsche’s brutal 911 GT3 RS super car complete with (again – we think…) a working paddle-shift transmission!

There is no word on pricing or piece-count, and we expect the test-car camouflage to be replaced with a road car or racing livery before the set is finalised for production, but despite the unknowns we are properly excited by the prospect of LEGO’s latest partnership. It could also open the doors for further potential manufacturer-backed sets, as car companies begin to recognise the power such synergies can have on their brand’s future desirability.

You can see more unofficial images of the new 2016 LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS at Gizmodo, who first broke the news story, or via the photographer’s Flickr page here. And if that wasn’t enough 42056 is due to be joined by a truly enormous bucket-wheel excavator and a large, motorised, and thoroughly excellent official Claas tractor too.

LEGO Technic is looking better than ever…

This breathtaking creation is a Koenigsegg One:1, Sweden’s twin-turbocharged, 1,300bhp, rumoured 270mph, 1:1 bhp:kg ultra-rare hypercar. It’s the work of Pvdb, and it’s one of the greatest Technic supercars that we’ve ever posted.

Pvdb has replicated the Koenigsegg One:1’s technical specifications beautifully, including its amazing dihedral doors, complex suspension and V8 engine, but the real work of art is his working paddle-shift gearbox.

Pvdb has squeezed three ratios into his Technic paddle-shift, but even being four cogs short of the real One:1 it’s an accomplishment that has blown the collective minds of TLCB office. If we’re right about LEGO’s forthcoming 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS set also including a working paddle-shift gearbox it’ll be interesting to see how many ratios LEGO themselves have managed to engineer into their new flagship.

You can read further details of how Pvdb’s system works via the Eurobricks discussion forum here, where you can also see the dihedral doors in action and peruse an extensive gallery of images.